The witch's lair
by MyLadyDay
Summary: Thatch may not have been that great at stealth, but being romantic seemed to work for him.


**This is the second place prize from my 300 follower giveaway for** **yesanymorebrightideasgenius**

 **The prompt was that one person of the pairing is ignoring the other one all day and sneaking about to prepare a romantic evening for their anniversary or something similar. The prompt said nothing about it being a modern AU and since I don't write those anymore, this is a witch!Izo and familiar!Thatch ^^**

As soon as he was out of bed, Thatch felt uncertainty about his whole plan. It wasn't like him to feel this nervous, especially not when it was about Izo, but he couldn't help it this time. After all, he was never good at hiding things from Izo, never really tried very hard, actually, because there was no need. Not to mention it was borderline impossible with how strong their bond was these days. He was barely out of bed and he could already feel Izo's dissatisfaction about losing all that extra body heat keeping him warm, even if he was still asleep. Thatch made sure to bundle him back up, leaning in to place a kiss on the top of Izo's head, making sure the pendant hanging around his neck didn't rattle for fear of waking Izo, before leaving the room.

The cold did nothing to him, though, so he didn't even bother with a shirt, braving the winter chill in nothing but pajama pants. He didn't bother with lights until he reached the living room, starting a fire in the fireplace before heading towards the kitchen. So far, he was still sticking to his usual morning routine, getting up before Izo, who was as much a morning person as any witch was - which is to say not at all - before making coffee and breakfast for them both. It was still funny to him how Izo's magic tended to get out of control in the morning before a cup of coffee, even if these small incidents cost him his eyebrows one too many times already.

The routine of making the coffee was usually relaxing, a mindless task he's performed countless times through the years he'd lived with Izo, knowing perfectly well which herbs to mix in to help Izo wake up and take control over his power, yet this time, Thatch found himself anything but relaxed. He'd been going through his plans for days now and it still didn't feel completely right. Thatch left the coffee to brew, already pulling out food and spices to start on breakfast as he remained lost in thought. The list of items he'd have to buy was complete and he knew Izo should be out of the house for the afternoon on some witchy business. Since he wasn't going with, Thatch concluded it was nothing important so he couldn't find it in himself to care particularly, as long as the house was empty.

No, what he worried about was the morning and trying to keep Izo from seeing right through him. Izo had a way of knowing everything just by looking at him and the bond with its constant thrum of both their feelings didn't help matters much, at least in this case. Generally, it was an amazing thing that didn't allow deceit from either side. Now he had to think of a way to distract Izo enough not to notice there was a surprise waiting for him at the end of the day.

Cold hands encircled his waist and Thatch jumped, completely surprised in the moment as his pendant flared bright orange under the surge of his emotions and he found himself on the kitchen floor on four paws with a heart threatening to burst out of his chest. Izo was cackling somewhere far above him, but the sound was soft and surprisingly affectionate, something Thatch could feel leaking through the bond even in his ferret body. If anything, the bond was even stronger when he turned into what he actually was; a witch's familiar.

"Something wrong, love?" Izo asked sleepily, before bending down to pick Thatch up and cradle him to his chest. Izo wasn't entirely awake, what with skipping coffee in favor of cuddling Thatch now that he was small and furry. It was the usual reaction, one that made affection and warmth radiate through their bond from both sides and, this time, managing to stifle the nervousness Thatch had been feeling. Izo scratched his head for a moment before letting Thatch leap out of his arms and shift back into his human body.

"You just startled me, being up this early and everything," Thatch told him, pressing a kiss to Izo's forehead before turning back to what he had been doing, but holding back on thinking to hard about his itinerary for the day now that Izo was up. Though at the same time, he knew he also had to avoid eye contact so Izo wouldn't catch on. As far as plans went, Thatch wasn't exactly thrilled with avoiding and ignoring Izo the whole day, but at the moment he saw no other choice lest he blurt out the entire surprise.

He hurried and finished breakfast in the least suspicious way he could, then downing his food in a way that was probably very suspicious before placing Izo's plate onto the table. Izo was confused for a moment, Thatch could feel it as if it were his own confusion as he pressed another kiss to Izo's temple.

"Sorry, I have to run, got some errands in town," he blurted before rushing out of the kitchen before Izo could say anything. The overwhelming confusion followed him as he dressed and slipped out of the house, when the sensation turned into a confused sadness. Thatch was sure Izo could sense he stab of guilt at that, but decided to move forward and make this up to Izo in the evening.

The worry slipped his mind for a bit as he gathered everything he needed in town, all the ingredients for Izo's favorite food and even flowers, but the candles would probably be his undoing. This was the first time he aimed for a romantic gesture such as this one, but he knew he probably shouldn't buy the type of candles Izo usually used for rituals and summonings. Really, he shouldn't have been stumped by candles in the first place, but there was guilt creeping up on him, mixing with the diluted confusion still reaching him from Izo's end.

It was only because of the guilt gnawing at him that he grabbed the first package of vanilla scented candles and hurried back home. The sooner he went back, the sooner he could make it up to Izo, right? He was actually excited about the prospect of dinner in front of the fireplace and a romantic night at home. Just in case, Thatch stopped and grabbed lube as well. Couldn't hurt, really, if he managed to sweep Izo off his feet.

It was with trepidation that he stepped into the house, brushing the snow out of his hair in the front hall and leaving the shoes behind without making a sound before moving to the kitchen. He was half hoping he wouldn't meet Izo on the way, for fear he might ruin his surprise, but at the same time he wanted to apologize for disappearing earlier. He couldn't feel Izo in the house, though, just a dull thrum of focus mixed with amusement coming from him through the bond. It was a relief, really, that Izo wasn't mad.

With a newfound determination, Thatch set out to preparing everything he would need later to cook dinner, taking special care with the dessert in an attempt at getting back into Izo's good graces. Of course, he can't buy Izo's love with cake, but it can surely help his case. Especially if Izo knew he spent hours on this.

And it was hours before he finally set the cake into the fridge to cool when the front door opened, letting Izo's grumbling into the house. Thatch was immediately in panic mode because he was nowhere near done and Izo wasn't supposed to be back yet. The kitchen was in a state of disarray as well, revealing that something suspicious was indeed going on. He rushed out of the kitchen, placing himself strategically next to the couch to hide the package of candles and lube he left there as Izo entered.

Thatch could feel irritation leaking through, though he had an odd feeling that it wasn't because of him this time, as Izo took a look at him and stopped in the doorway. It was odd seeing him unsure of what to do, as he was usually so sure of himself and what he wanted. Feeling bad about before, Thatch took the first step, cupping Izo's cheek as he leaned in and placed a kiss to his temple.

"Hi," he said lamely, but could feel Izo sigh against his neck, relief flooding them both making it impossible to tell who it originated from. "You're home early."

Izo sighed again, letting his forehead drop to Thatch's shoulder. "Marco did something weird and now Ace is stuck in his dog body," Izo said with amusement and a healthy dose of exasperation. "He doesn't know how to turn him back to normal and of course I gotta help," he finished with another sigh. "I'm gonna go upstairs and read through my books, try to find a solution to this mess." With that he stepped away and looked up at Thatch. "You okay?" he asked and Thatch smiled, even if he felt it was slightly forced because Izo was clearly onto him. Izo was eternally onto him, it seemed, but that was to be expected, Thatch was always a poor liar.

"I'm good. I'll let you know when dinner's done."

Even as he fled the room, again, he knew it was a bad idea. But Izo just sighed behind him before heading into the attic lair they'd built. Everything a witch could want, really. Meanwhile, Thatch was once again trying to figure out how to get the living room into order with Izo in the house and without raising suspicion. He was sure he'd failed on that count already, but it was too late to just got down without a fight. By god, this would be the best damn anniversary, if he had a say in it.

Considering he did have a say in it, Thatch set to work again, making sure Izo was still out of range. Still, he hurried through everything he had left to do, between arranging the living room and preparing dinner and was actually proud of the progress. Things was actually looking up for him and he felt accomplished because he managed to keep Izo in the dark about his plans.

All he had left was stoking the fire and setting the candles at a safe yet romantic distance from the pile of soft blankets in front of the fireplace. The living room was dark save for the fire and the usually empty space in front of it was now a nest of softness. The flowers turned out to be pretty useless given that the whole room was pretty much cast into darkness and they weren't really visible. Well, maybe he'll see them tomorrow.

He was standing in the dark, thinking of the best possible spots for the candles he was holding.

"What are you doing?" Izo's voice startled him and, once again, his instinct told him to shift and duck out of view as the candles scattered on the living room floor. He had half a mind to think that this wasn't exactly the best coping mechanism, but it was kind of too late to rethink his decisions. He could barely make out the white candles on the floor, but he felt Izo's gaze with more intensity. There was definitely a glare involved. Still, following his instinct once again, Thatch used his teeth to grasp the closest candle and start his trek towards the coffee table. Izo only huffed at that.

"Fine, don't tell me." With that and a flare of irritation, Izo turned and left towards the bedroom, a slam of the door following in his wake. Thatch shifted immediately, feeling the spike of stubbornness watering down the irritation. He knew what that meant and turned instead to pick up the candles, putting them around the blankets, far enough that nothing could catch fire, before lighting them.

No sooner was Izo out of their room, stomping through the hall with scolding words ready to leave his mouth. The thought of it made Thatch smile and he stood straight next to the lair he made by the fire, waiting for Izo to see everything that was waiting for him.

"You know what!" Izo started, his eyes narrow as he was about to vent all the confusion and annoyance he felt all day at Thatch's strange behavior. Still, his words cut off once he lay eyes on Thatch and the smile on his face. He was prepared to speak, to explain what was going on, but Izo was moving already. For a moment, Thatch was sure Izo would tackle him and shove him into the fire, but then Izo jumped at him, certain Thatch would catch him as he did.

Izo's lips were on his without a second thought and Thatch could do nothing but smile into the kiss, lowering them both into the blankets, suddenly extremely happy about planning this the way he did.

"I'm sorry," he said as soon as Izo broke the kiss, moving to hug him. "Happy anniversary, love," he added, smiling around the pet name only Izo usually used. The blankets were entirely too comfortable and the prospect of getting up for food wasn't one Thatch liked at the moment, but he knew he'd have to. "Dinner's waiting in the kitchen, I thought we could eat here where it's nice and warm," he continued, pressing his lips against Izo's neck, his voice low enough to reveal that food was the last thing on his mind.

"This is why you were jumpy all day?" Izo asked him with a chuckle. "Just to surprise me?"

Thatch didn't reply, knowing his embarrassment would transfer over the bond now that they were this close and touching. It was always strongest like this, after all. Izo laughed, though, which was a better response than he'd been expecting.

"Next time, try not to ignore me and everything will be fine. Okay?" he asked and Thatch knew he'd have to be sneakier next time if it ever came to that. "But this is lovely. It's even snowing outside."

"I'm sorry," he whispered once again as he pulled Izo closer, feeling his warmth more than that of the fire. "I promise I'll be stealthier next time." Thatch smiled, glancing at Izo to see him smile as well.

"You know…" Izo started as he wriggled under Thatch's weight, letting his hands slide underneath Thatch's shirt, "it is pretty hot here. Maybe we should take off our clothes and cool off before dinner…" he trailed off as his hands moved upwards and he looked at Thatch with pure unadulterated mischief in his eyes.

"Hm…" Thatch hummed, smiling wider as he let Izo pull his shirt over his head before he leaned down again, nuzzling into Izo's hair. "Maybe we should."


End file.
